Squibs and Witches
by WinglessDemeter
Summary: Another Rumbelle AU fic set in a Harry Potter like universe. Professor Gold realizes there might be something a little bit different about the new librarian. R&R. Enjoy the fic.


**Set in the same AU as Better Days. Usual disclaimer applies, do not own and all that fun stuff.**

**Enjoy the fic! :)**

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**Squibs and Witches**

In the time short time that he had known her, Rum Gold noticed quite a few things about Miss Belle French, the new librarian at Storybrooke School of Magic. She was kind and patient. Always willing to help a student track down whatever they may need in order to complete a homework assignment. Her smile was an almost permanent fixture on her face and it took quite a lot to make it disappear but even when it did it was never gone for long.

Belle was nothing if not forgiving because as she said, "People make mistakes, you shouldn't hold it against them forever. If they are willing to pluck up the courage to ask for forgiveness then they probably deserve to be forgiven."

The brunette woman carried an aura of sunshine wherever she went and the students simply adored her. It was hard even for him to keep from smiling every time he saw her, though possibly for other reasons like the warmth he felt when he was around her. Though he didn't necessarily need them, Professor Gold always found an excuse to come to the library after he had shooed his students out of the last class of the day to ask Belle for help in finding a book.

If she caught on that he did it simply to be close to her and spend time with her then she never let it show. It was something that his son Bae teased him for relentlessly when he found out and encouraged him to ask her out. But Rum had a few too many misgivings about the whole thing to do that just yet. He was older and scaly. Belle was young and had creamy skin that he could only imagine was soft to the touch. What would a pretty little thing like her want with a scaly old – often times grumpy – potions master like himself?

It was during these little daily trips to the library that Rum noticed something else about the Storybrooke's new librarian. She did everything by hand. While most would have cast a simple spell to organize and reshelve the books students had left lying around on the tables, Belle would gather them all up in this little cart of hers, put them in order and then go up and down the aisles to put them back in their proper place.

When a student accidentally spilled ink on the tables or floor, she brought out the cleaning products, got down on her knees and began scrubbing everything clean again. Anyone else would have magicked the mess away, not spent an hour trying to scrub ink off a wooden table to leave as little stain as possible.

Things like these and others as the school year was underway brought Rum Gold to the realization that without a doubt, Miss French was a squib. It just made sense and he found it didn't bother him in the least. Belle French was still, Belle French. A kind, intelligent young women that held her own even against Headmistress Mills who just didn't seem fond of anyone really.

One fine November day, as the students huddled around the tables to get homework done before the weekend began Rum's theory was put to the test. Belle had been busy with two other students and so Miss Gracie Hatter decided it would be best not to overwhelm the woman and went in search of the reading material she needed herself. Gracie wandered down the potions section looking for something, anything that could help her pass the assigned homework. Potions had never been her strong suit, and if she was honest with herself, she tended to make a downright mess of things half the time. But she tried.

Peering upwards, she spotted a book on a shelf just a little out of her reach on healing potions. Standing on her tip toes, Gracie reached up to pull it off the shelf. Unfortunately, even standing on her tip toes, the book was still a couple inches to high for her to reach. She jumped upwards and managed to pull it out a few centimeters. It was on the second jump when the book finally slid out and toppled to the floor that Gracie realized it would have been better to have used her wand instead because along with the book she had been attempting to reach, the rest of the shelf and the one above it began to fall as well as the bookshelf tipped forward just a bit. Immediately bracing herself for the impact and the bruises that would no doubt come from being pelted with so many books, Gracie wrapped her arms over her head and waited.

And waited. And waited and still…nothing happened.

Taking a peek from out of the safety of her arm cocoon, she saw that the books were currently floating mere centimeters from her head and slowly putting themselves back into place. Wide eyed with shock, Gracie lowered her arms to look down the aisle where Miss French was standing, wand out and moving her lips uttering a spell softly to herself. Without looking at her, she gestured for Gracie to move away from the books in case any others managed to slip.

Quickly as she could, Gracie trotted down the aisle to Miss French and Professor Gold who was standing behind her wearing a blank expression. He managed to pull his gaze away long enough to check that his goddaughter was uninjured, less Jefferson have his hide for a belt, before ushering her back to the table to collect her things.

It wasn't until the students had gone off to dinner a little while later that Rum hung back and relayed his previous theory to Miss French hoping she would not be insulted by his assumption. But, Belle being had only bit her lip and shook his apprehension away.

"My parents are muggle," She replied. "I guess I just got so used to doing everything by hand, especially after my mother died, that sometimes I forget I even have magic. Plus, there's something almost relaxing about doing something as mundane as shelving books without the use of magic. It lets me think."

Rum nodded in understanding. He often spent times in his chambers by the fire at the old spinning wheel his mother had left behind trying to forget the last few years. Trying to forget his first love, his wife leaving him, his poor childhood and the feeling of inadequacy he sometimes got when he had had to raise Bae on his own and never knowing where he was really doing the boy any good. He might have been better off with Milah but she didn't seem to have the slightest interest in seeing either of them. Spinning helped him forget all of that and leave reality if only for a short time.

He felt something cool and soft touch his hand, bringing him out of his thoughts. Looking down Rum found a creamy pale hand, such a stark contrast from his scales, grasping his own and it belonged to none other than the blue eyed librarian herself. She smiled warmly at him, a twinkle in her eye that he feared delving too far into and began pulling him behind her towards the door.

"Come on Rum," He liked the way his name rolled off her tongue. "Its dinner time and I'm hungry, let's go eat."

Rum Gold could do nothing more than nod and allow himself to be led down the corridor to the great hall by the pretty little witch before him, never letting go of his hand. If he could blush through his scales he was sure that his face would be nearly pink by now.


End file.
